Crystal Sheedy

I am currently pursuing a PhD in cultural anthropology at the University at Albany. My work mostly concentrates on Mayas of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. While I was an undergraduate at SUNY Cortland, I worked with Dr. John R. Sosa, who taught me the basics to the Maya (Yucatec) language. While enrolled in my MA program, I completed three summers of the Yucatec Maya Language offered through UNC. I also conducted my Master’s thesis research in a Maya community in Yucatán. I chose to do my fieldwork in Maya because I feel that it is the ethnographer’s obligation to learn a culture’s indigenous language. To me, this not only strengthens the bond between the ethnographer and their participants, but also furthers the validity of the ethnographer’s research. My past research focused on migration and its effects on the community’s economy and gender roles. My current research focuses on how Mayas are preserving their cultural practices and traditions for future generations.